Grant Cole let on his Australian Country Cup under 15s side was up against some very physical opposition at last weekend’s Mel Young Easter Classic in New Zealand.

What he didn’t give away was his boys in green and gold aged 12 and 13 from NSW, Victoria and South Australia were well and truly capable of punching above their weight.

Against some ginormous opposition at Tauranga, a town on the land of the long white cloud’s north island, the Aussies stormed to the tournament victory in an overtime thriller against Waitekerie, coming from behind to prevail 87-81.

Cole was thrilled for his team, one that battled vastly taller opposition for virtually the entire four days in New Zealand and still managed to progress through to the final undefeated.

“These young men were outstanding all week,” Cole said from New Zealand, praising his side’s never-say-die attitude.

“They never gave up against some very big teams to make it to the grand final undefeated and they came from behind to win in overtime.

“Every single player contributed all week every time they stepped onto the court.”

The team qualified for the final thanks to a 63-58 win over Waikato in front of a massive crowd that ballooned during a semi-final’s final quarter.

Incredibly, Cole’s tallest player looked up to all bar one of the opposition’s players in that clash.

Cole dubbed that contest a genuine David versus Goliath encounter.

The win marked the first time an Australian Country Cup side has made the final of the under 15 boys’ division of the tournament.

“Super proud of them all,” he added.

“And to be the first Australian under 15 boys’ team to make it to a grand final at this tournament and then win it is a huge achievement in its self.”

Rock the Rim Basketball is affiliated with the Australian Sports Commission to provide Vicinity Aussie Hoops to schools in the Central West of NSW.

Sporting Schools, a $100 million Australian Government initiative, aims to get children healthy and active. Its key purpose is to encourage more children to do more sports based activities, and empower schools to help them out.

Sporting Schools will engage with over 850,000 children across Australia in what will be the country’s largest school based participation program.

By focusing on having fun, having a go and getting active, Rock the Rim Basketball and Sporting Schools will provide the Central West children with positive sporting experiences to help foster a lifetime interest in sports.

Rock the Rim Basketball supports this through delivering the national Vicinity Aussie Hoops program, which focuses on providing safe, fun and engaging basketball activities that get all children involved, regardless of their level of ability.

Rock the Rim Basketball will intensify their push to attract more members to Vicinity Aussie Hoops in Cowra over the next fortnight.

Rock the Rim Basketball will visit all schools in the Cowra area to raise awareness of Vicinity Aussie Hoops and the Rim Rockers program, both currently run on a Tuesday afternoon at the PCYC Young Road in Cowra.

Vicinity Aussie Hoops is for kids 5 to 12 years of age while Rim Rockers is targeting kids 12 to 17 years of age, with the potential to get enough kids in Cowra interested to establish a Junior Basketball competition in Cowra.

Over the next two weeks interested kids can come along and participate in our FREE programs to get a feel for basketball.

New members $95.00 includes a Basketball, Backpack, Reversible singlet and registration with Basketball NSW. Returning Members fee is $70.00.

Vicinity Aussie Hoops is Basketball Australia’s official development program. Vicinity Aussie Hoops is a national program which provides an environment where children of all abilities can achieve on the court and reap the rewards of skill development, enhanced self-esteem, social co-operation and grassroots sports participation.

Put simply Rock the Rim Basketball and Vicinity Aussie Hoops is all about participation and fun.

Rock the Rim Basketball will again be running the Vicinity Aussie Hoops program over 10 weeks in Blayney at CentrePoint Leisure Centre commencing Monday the 10th of October from 4pm till 5.30pm.

Vicinity Aussie Hoops is Basketball Australia’s official development program aimed at kids 5 to 10 years old.

This is a fantastic introduction into Basketball with accredited Coaches whose aim is to teach the basic skills required in a fun and social environment for children of all abilities and their families.

Cost for new members is $85.00 which includes a starter pack consisting of a basketball, reversible singlet and backpack. Renewing members is $65.00.

More information can be obtained from Rock the Rim Basketball 0428 011 820.

RocktheRim Basketball is proud to announce that we are launching Rim Rockers Development Squads in both Cowra & Forbes.

Rim Rockers is aimed at 11 – 17 year olds who are serious about taking their Basketball to the next level.

Commencing Tuesday the 11th October in Cowra 5.15pm to 7pm and Thursday the 13th October in Forbes 4.30pm to 6.30pm…Both programs run for 10 weeks.

Rim Rockers Development Squad Athletes can expect a higher intensity program aimed at developing athletes fundamentals from footwork, passing, ball handling/dribbling, shooting through to team offense and defense concepts.

At Rim Rockers we want our Athletes to not only have great skills on the court, we focus on building self-confidence, teamwork and social skills to complement our athletes.

Interested…Additional information on this fantastic opportunity can be obtained by contacting RocktheRim Basketball on 0428 011 820.